Medieval ’who’s who’ Lost King John charter found at library
HE went down in history – perhaps unfairly – as England’s most hated king, but now a historian from the University of Bristol has made an astonishing discovery about King John.
Dr Benjamin Pohl has left academics stunned by discovering a rare, original royal charter from the first few months of King John’s reign.
The document was thought lost or destroyed centuries ago, but it surfaced in the archives of the Ushaw College Library, managed by Durham University.
Bristol historian Dr Pohl made the surprising discovery during his time as a Lendrum Visiting Fellow at the Residential Research Library.
The document itself is a fairly mundane charter bestowing a couple of villages in East Anglia from one aristocrat to another.
A copy of the charter was made centuries later, but the original featured a list of witnesses which has piqued the interest of historians.
The list shows that, on March 26, 1200, as King John began his first year as ruler of England, the rich and powerful barons from the north of England were falling over themselves to do business with him .
King John was in York holding court at the time, and the charter reveals what historians are describing as a “who’s who” of the people in charge and who had come along to declare loyalty to the new king.
Dr Pohl said: “Discovering the original charter at Ushaw is extremely exciting, not least because it allows us to develop a fuller picture of the people who were present at York on March 26, 1200, and eager to do business with the new king.
“Medieval charters are important not just because of the legal acts they contain, but also for what they can tell us about the society and political culture at the time. Indeed, their issuing authorities, beneficiaries and witnesses provide a cross section of medieval England’s ruling elites.
“Our charter might best be described, therefore, as a kind of ‘who’s who’ of Northern England (and beyond) at the turn of the 13th century.”
Professor David Cowling, from Durham University, said the find was a “wonderful example” of the benefits of visiting fellows.
“Discovering ancient documents like this gives us a fascinating new glimpse into the past,” he said.
“For one of our visiting fellows to identify an item from the collection as a previously-uncatalogued medieval royal charter is a wonderful example of the advances that can be made by working and exploring our archives together.”